Government bows to public pressure over animal sentience
Environment Secretary Michael Gove has bowed to public pressure over animal sentience, saying he will "make Brexit work for animals". In a speech today he said he will enhance animal welfare standards, increasing the maximum prison sentence for 'animal cruelty' from six months to five years in England and Wales. He said: "Animals are sentient beings who feel pain and suffering, so we are writing that principle into law and ensuring that we protect their welfare. "We are a nation of...
Shadow Health Secretary tells Parliament of “NHS pushed to the brink” as NHS managers back Kerslake’s warnings
After the chair of one of the country’s top NHS trusts resigned in protest against government NHS cuts making his and other hospital's job impossible, the shadow health secretary made an emergency statement to the House of Commons today. "Lord Kerslake said our NHS faces the tightest spending figures in recent times,” said Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth. “Doesn’t that mean like at Kings - continued hospital deficits, growing waiting lists, greater rationing of care, the dropping of the 18 week target,...
German Ryanair pilots call for first major strike in carrier’s history
German pilots are set to stage the first major strike in the low-cost carrier's history. Union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) made the call following similar threats from unions in Italy and Portugal who urged their members to walk out over pay and working conditions. The airline’s Dublin based pilots also threaten to take industrial action. The move comes after disruption in the summer caused by a shortage of pilots, many of whom had moved to rival firms. Europe’s largest short-haul airline now faces...
As over 68,000 people demand Richard Branson hands back NHS money…He lands £104m NHS contract
When Virgin Care did not win the healthcare contracts they wanted they sued the cash-strapped NHS for £328,000. And yet despite that, they have been awarded another NHS contract. For £104 million. Currently over 68,000 people have signed a petition to demand Richard Branson’s Virgin Care hands back over £328,000 after taking legal action against six Surrey clinical commissioning groups, Surrey County Council and NHS England. At the same time Lancashire County Council award £104m NHS contract to Virgin Care,...
The best London restaurant openings of 2017
2017 has been an outstanding year for London restaurant openings, with over 300 having launched since January. Some have been absolutely sensational, others considerably less brilliant. From nose-to-tail cooking to Mexican fine-dining; Michelin-approved international exports to home grown triumphs – we pick ten of the best restaurants to have opened in London this year. Frog by Adam Handling An extension of The Frog E1 (one of last year’s best restaurant openings), Frog by Adam Handling is a slightly more formal...
Pranksters erect giant five-foot tall snow penis & place sign requesting “no d*ck pics please”
A pair of pranksters have erected a giant five-foot tall snow penis in the heart of a historic market town. Mark Harris, 25, and Connall Beith, 26, spent an hour building the impressive structure and placed a sign next it reading "no dick pics please". Dozens of grinning passers-by took pictures of the life-long friends' "masterpiece" on Sunday in Chatteris, Cambs. A pair of pranksters have erected a giant five-foot tall snow penis in the heart of a historic market...
Restaurant Review: Southam Street
Pan-Asian cuisine has become so oversaturated in London, it’s often distinguish between the bad and the utterly atrocious. With the opening of so many restaurants serving a mix of Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Taiwanese and Laotian food, a great deal have roots far more British than the menus may suggest. Of these, though, chef Chris Denney’s experimental creations are some of London’s few wholly enjoyable examples. When 108 Garage opened last year, the restaurant was quickly met with rapturous critical...
Man Flu…is real after all, claims academic study
Like most men, any slight illness is immediately called man flu and gives us males the opportunity to act like we are inches away form death for a few days. Most of the time, I speak for myself, I might just be a combination of lazy and tired However, there is growing evidence that man flu is real. In a special Christmas issue of the BMJ, a Canadian academic set out to discover whether males really experience worse flu symptoms...
Human trafficker who forced victims to work for little or no pay while they lived in squalid conditions is jailed
A Hungarian slave master who forced vulnerable victims to work 12 hours a day for little or no pay while they lived in squalid conditions has been jailed. Miroslav Bily, 51, travelled to the Czech Republic to pick up the slaves and offered them a "good home" before making them work for as little as 35p an hour. A court heard the "parasitic individual" would pocket the cash they earned in order to pay off his own debts. Miroslav Bily....